Reduce stress and incorporate more movement into your day by thinking incrementally

  

A couple of ideas you may be able to use--(I apologize if you've heard these before)

A busy, stressed person who is juggling multiple overloading responsibilities has to be creative about getting more exercise and incorporating more movement into their day.

Something I've been doing is that I take a 20-minute walk at lunch (even 10 or 15 has a significant cumulative benefit. I'll walk with an apple or a handful of nuts). 

I usually call Vicki when I get off work, before I start the car, check in say hi, see what we're doing, if I can pick up a bottle of wine or a movie. Instead of making that call from the car, I walk around the building. We can have a nice decompressing conversation, and I'm in motion, getting 10-15 minutes more exercise. If there's nothing pressing I'll take one more circuit, and I've added a 25-minute walk in without any lost time for changing or going to the gym, and I've made a refreshing transition from work mode, collected myself for the rest of my evening.

When you go to the store or park at your building, park in the back part of the lot, facing out. There's lots more room. You're way less likely to have one of those annoying in-a-hurry fender benders backing out of a congested parking space. You get a bonus five minute walk into the store or work and another healthy transition. If you make it a practice wherever you go, you'll save a potential insurance claim every couple of years, and accumulate 1000s of extra steps, good for 8-10 pounds a year. Think incrementally.

If you work at a desk, especially over a computer, it tends to hunch us over, round our shoulders, and put a lot of extra stress on the hips, the lower back and the shoulders. Quick little movement breaks, three minutes of standing and stretching, simple movements will make you more productive, alert, and loads healthier. I can show you a three to five minute desk workout that will literally add years to your life, boost your energy and metabolism, and reduce your aches and body tightness. Even incorporating some deep breaths and some standing will burn more calories and lift both your body and spirit. Nothing weird, just a little limbering and movement. Incorporating that into your day twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon will have huge benefits, and you'll have more energy and efficiency for your work.

Give yourself a posture check every hour or so. Two deep breaths with your eyes closed and your shoulders back, It's renewing, refreshing, and releases a ton of accumulated stress if you make it a practice.

Denzel Washington is one of my favorite actors, and one of my favorite Denzel Washington movies is "Remember the Titans." There's a scene in the movie where he's putting his team through a grueling summer workout, blowing his whistle at each rep, and he's telling them, "We gonna change the way we eat. We're gonna change the way we block." He goes on, and the conviction and passion he expresses are inspiring.

Little incremental disciplines and choices can add up to a huge healthy difference in outlook and well-being. Do you drink coffee or soda at work? If you do, replace half the sodas or coffees you drink every day with a tall carafe of hot green tea. It curbs appetite and hydrates you. It's an anti-oxidant. The hot liquids boost your immune system and help protect you from little germy uglies.